January 31, 2010

According to the Financial Times, "Adam Crozier leaves his post at Royal Mail with industry opinion divided on his tenure. Hired by former Royal Mail chairman Allan Leighton in 2003 after a high profile spell as chief executive of the English Football Association, Crozier helped the postal operator go from losing £1m a day to making £1m a day. But industry observers said that his schmoozing skills and slickness rubbed some up the wrong way."

The Lafayette Journal Courier has reported that "The U.S. Postal Service says possible consolidations of mail processing operations in Lafayette won't affect service, but members of the local postal workers union disagree. Pending the outcome of a two-month study, some operations at the Lafayette Processing and Distribution Facility on Indiana 26 East could be sent to Indianapolis, the U.S. Postal Service announced Jan. 22."

NEMS.com has reported that "The public comment period on a proposed postal consolidation ended this week, and a decision is likely within three months. The U.S. Postal Service wants to move Tupelo's outgoing mail processing operations to Memphis, a plan officials say could save the federal agency $181,000 annually. Six postal employees would be directly affected by the move. But postal workers here oppose the plan and have the support of Tupelo's Mayor and City Council, the Lee County Board of Supervisors, both Mississippi senators and U.S. Rep. Travis Childers, D-Miss."

The Gloucester County Times has noted that "The [NJ] state Treasury Department last year told libraries and the postal service they would not be getting printed copies of New Jersey 1040 tax booklets to distribute to residents. Instead, residents must request paper forms from the state directly, print out forms available on the department's website or file their tax returns electronically." [EdNote: So much for local post offices acting as important conduits for the provision of other government services.]

From Hellmail:

Posten Norden Signs Outsourcing Agreement With Logica
Lithuanian Post - Savings To Pay Workers 10 Percent More
The Path To Extinction

The Daily Record has reported that "U.S. Postal Service officials have not yet decided whether to close the West Jersey Processing and Distribution Center in the Whippany section of the township, but a report released last week saying the Postal Service has overpaid its workers' pension fund by $75 billion since 1972 should cause the Postal Service to reconsider consolidating facilities, a postal workers union president said. The office that prepared the report disagreed."

The Whittier Daily News has reported that "In an era when many of us struggle to cope with a constant barrage of e-mails, texts and instant messages, it's easy to forget the household mailbox still plays a significant role in people's lives. And for homeless people with limited access to computers and no permanent residences, the inability to receive mail can interrupt the flow of vital social services. For almost a quarter of a century, however, St. Matthias Episcopal Church in Uptown has worked to be a communications lifeline for the area's homeless and serves as a permanent address where they can receive their mail."

The Economic Times has a story on "Jyotiraditya Scindia: Man who revived the Indian Postal system."

January 30, 2010

The Business Standard has reported that "The total number of mails delivered by the postal department in 2008-09 has seen an increase after a gap of five years, primarily on the back of a rise in the delivery of business mails. There has been a steady fall in the delivery of mails in recent years due to competition from private players."

The latest edition of the National Association of Postal Supervisors Legislative/Regulatory Update is available here: http://tinyurl.com/napslegreg012910

In "Taking Control of the Board of Governors," the Courier, Express, and Postal Observer has determined that "both of these proposed appointments meet all other requirerments for the Board of Governors. They clearly have substantial experience in "experience in the field of public service, law or accounting." In making these appointments, the Obama administration is taking seriously the federal government's role as the primary creditor and only shareholder of the Postal Service. These appointments are not much different than what happened at GM, Chrysler, and AIG when the Federal Government traded loans for shares and made appointments to the boards of these companies. Their appointments also suggest the administration may require changes in the size of the existing board in order to speed changes at the Postal Service, as a condition for changing the formula used to calculate the pension and retiree health care benefits of the Postal Service."

President Barack Obama has announced his intent to nominate the following individuals to key administration posts:

• Paul Steven Miller, Nominee for Governor, Board of Governors of the United States Postal Service. Paul Steven Miller is the Henry M. Jackson Professor of Law at the University of Washington School of Law who is an expert in workplace and employment law.  He has spent his career moving between academia, public service, and law practice. Most recently, Professor Miller spent the first nine months of the Obama Administration as a Special Assistant to the President in The White House.  Prior to joining the University of Washington faculty in 2004, Professor Miller had been one of the longest serving commissioners of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the federal agency which enforces employment discrimination laws.  He has also served in The White House as Liaison to the Disability Community and as Deputy Director of the U.S. Office of Consumer Affairs during the Clinton Administration. Earlier in his career, Professor Miller was the Director of Litigation for the Western Law Center for Disability Rights and a lawyer at the Los Angeles law firm of Manatt Phelps and Phillips.  He is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, cum laude, and the Harvard Law School.

• Dennis J. Toner, Nominee for Governor, Board of Governors of the United States Postal Service. Dennis J. Toner has directed policy, public and political affairs for over 30 years for then-Senator and now-Vice President Biden. He most recently served as Finance Director for Biden for President and Citizens for Biden. He spent the 30 years prior to that working for then-Senator Biden in his Senate office. He last held the position of Deputy Chief of Staff for the Senator from 1995 to 2005. He has also previously launched his own business, Horizon Advisors, which provides guidance and advice to private clients and non-profit organizations. He received his B.A. from the University of Delaware.

DMM Advisory:  Intelligent Mail Services Update.

• ACS™ Information Response Time – Mailers who submit Full-Service mailings containing Intelligent Mail Range (IMR) records with a low number of pieces in the range are experiencing issues with receiving ACS information. We are working towards a resolution. The PostalOne! ^® Helpdesk will contact affected mailers to provide assistance. Please continue to report all issues in receiving ACS data to the PostalOne! Helpdesk at 1-800-522-9085.

• REMINDER**PostalOne! Maintenance: The reporting database used for the Mail Quality/MicroStrategy reports will be upgraded on January 31, 2010 during the PostalOne! maintenance window (4:00 a.m. – 8:00 a.m. CST). This only impacts access to the MicroStrategy reports listed on the Business Customer Gateway for external users under Mailing Reports (PostalOne!). Once users are logged on, follow these links: Mail Quality Reports>Shared Reports>Mail Quality Reporting>Mail Data Quality. Access to these reports will not be available during the maintenance window. There will be no additional outage/impact to PostalOne! during this period. The changes are being made to address performance issues reported by mailers with the Mail Data Quality reports. The changes are being implemented to limit the number of detailed records loaded to 1,000 for a specific error type and job to improve performance and usability of these reports. Summary information will continue to report the total number of errors by error type and job. Once these changes are implemented, we will reload the reporting data for the Mail Data Quality.

• FAST^® MAINTENANCE - SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2010 (4 A.M. CT - 8 A.M. CT). The Facility Access and Shipment Tracking (FAST) production and Test Environment for Mailers (TEM) environments are scheduled for maintenance on Sunday, February 7, 2010 from 4:00 a.m. CT through 8:00 a.m. CT. There will not be an outage; however, users may experience intermittent connectivity issues while server upgrades are performed. FAST Web Services messages sent during this scheduled maintenance window will be queued and processed after maintenance is completed. We apologize for any inconvenience you may experience.

• STIDs on RIBBS^®: The presentation entitled IMb™ Services: Service Type Identifiers (STIDs) prepared by MTAC Workgroup 124 has been posted on RIBBS>Intelligent Mail Services>Education.

Multichannel Merchant has reported that "What’s the status of the much-hyped five-day mail delivery proposal raised a year ago by Postmaster General John E. Potter? The Postal Regulatory Commission is waiting for the U.S. Postal Service to request an advisory opinion, says PRC chairman Ruth Goldway."

According to Crawdaddy Magazine, "The United States Postal Service is pulling a Starbucks, and randomly venturing into music distribution. In what is a pretty smart marketing move just in time for Valentine’s Day, and Black History Month, for just $10.99 (plus $3.75 for shipping), the USPS will send a compilation of love songs written by Ella Fitzgerald, called Love Letters from Ella, in a decorative envelope to anyone in your life who could use a little lovin’ from far away. In a sorta related note, the USPS released a Ella Fitzgerald commemorative stamp in 2007. "

January 29, 2010

 
The latest issue of the PostCom Bulletin is available online. In this issue:

• The USPS this week published an advanced copy of its proposed rule which would change the processing of hard-copy postage statements accompanying commercial and permit imprint mailings at PostalOne! facilities. Under the USPS’ proposal, the USPS no longer would complete the “USPS Use Only” section of, or round date, hard-copy postage statements (including duplicates) accompanying mailings accepted at PostalOne! facilities.
• According to Rag Content, “it appears, through default, the OIG has taken over the creative thinking of the Postal Service. Instead of looking at the problems in a new way, the USPS management goes right to cost cutting – cut workhours, cut service, and cut delivery days. It continues to make mail less attractive through regulations and passing costs onto customers.”
• According to the Courier, Express, and Postal Observer, the Postal Regulatory Commission has shown an interest in the potential for a mini rate case. The PRC has chosen to enter uncharted territory, examination of the Postal Service's financial and business plans by asking whether the Postal Service generated sufficient revenue in 2009 "to assure adequate revenues, including retained earnings, to maintain financial stability."If the PRC find the Postal Service to not be in compliance with any of the ratemaking rules included in 39 U.S.C. § 3622, can it force the Postal Service to file an exigent rate case to put it in compliance?
• Deadtree Edition has told its readers that "it may be time to bid farewell to the tabloid-sized American magazine. A variety of forces have been conspiring for several decades to put oversized magazines onto the endangered-species list. Now the U.S. Postal Service appears ready to put the tabloid magazine (and catalog) out of existence."
• The Courier, Express, and Postal Observer wants to know if a request by President Obama for a freeze on discretionary spending affect the Postal Service."
• The postal sector, a key economic “motor”, will help to spur recovery in Haiti in the wake of a catastrophic earthquake earlier this month, a senior United Nations official said.
• The USPS is gearing up for handling the 2010 Census mailings, which begin in February and represent $200 million in revenue to the USPS. “When the Census Bureau next month enters the first of its six separate 2010 Census mailings,” the USPS told its employees on its Lite Blue web site, “it will mark the beginning of the largest mailing effort by any agency within a 90-day period.” The mailings will continue through mid-April and will also amount to the “single largest use of Intelligent Mail barcodes on any mailing to date: nearly 447 million mailpieces,” the USPS said.
• USPS Clarifies UAA Mail. USPS Publishes Updated Move Update Rules. USPS reaps revenue from expanded PO Box Services. USPS testifies on sustainability progress. USPS revises treatment of undeliverable items. USPS to employees: do not obliterate barcodes. Study says customers remember companies with exceptional service. Quad Graphics to acquire Worldcolor. PRC accepts USPS’ Parcel Select periodical reporting proposal. Anthrax attacks reunsolved. Nantage of postal rates.
• Updates on postal matters published in the Federal Register.
• An update on DMM Advisory notices issued by the U.S. Postal Service.
• An update on business before the Postal Regulatory Commission.
• A review of postal news from around the world.
• Postal previews

Hey! You've not been getting the weekly PostCom Bulletin--the best postal newsletter anywhere...bar none?  Send us by email your name, company, company title, postal and email address. Get a chance to see what you've been missing.

The PostCom Bulletin is distributed via NetGram

The National League of Postmasters of the United States takes Postmasters working condition issues to Congress.

• The letter to Postmaster General Potter informing him of the League actions. Click To View Letter
• Oversight and Government Reform Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives letter. Click To View Letter
• U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs letter. Click To View Letter
• House and Senate Committees List receiving Postmaster letter and White Page. Click To View the List
• Action Alert - Abuse of Postmasters & Inefficient and Ineffective Post Office Management Practices Click To View Alert
• LEAGUE White Paper - Postmaster Hours and Post Office Management Practices Click To View
• Please click to view the Action Alert Retiree Health Benefit (pdf)

From PR Newswire: "The U.S. Postal Service today filed an update with the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) indicating that 162 offices remain under review for possible consolidation under the station and branch consolidation initiative. That is six fewer from the last update in December. No final decisions have been made regarding specific office consolidations."

The Guardian has reported that "ITV's new chief executive, Adam Crozier, could walk away from his old job at the head of Royal Mail with £2m in bonuses."

The Financial Times has noted that "Deutsche Post's dominant position in the German postal market was dealt a blow yesterday when a court rejected minimum-wage rules, which rivals claimed protected the partly state-owned group."

The Fort Wayne Journal Gazette has reported that "A U.S. Postal Service employee was arrested Thursday after federal investigators said she forged hospital excuse slips to justify paid sick days she received."

The Business Times has reported that "Singapore Post Ltd (SingPost) said its third-quarter profit increased 20.6 per cent year-on-year to $44.1 million as a result of improving economy and government relief measures. Consolidation of its wholly-owned mail logistics subsidiary Quantium Solutions also helped."

Africa News has reported that "Malawi Posts Corporation (MPC) has to revisit its operations in order to meet the Information, Communication and Technology (ICT) needs of the current generation."

According to the Journal News, "Whether it was the "Nights in Rodanthe" DVD — starring your neighbor Richard Gere — or a mail-ordered delicacy famously associated with the rich, if it caught postal carrier Tensy May Smith's eye, it became hers, police said Thursday. Credit, debit and gift cards, dozens of Netflix DVDs — even a $250 jar of caviar — were among the items authorities said they seized after they ended up in Smith's Croton-on-Hudson home instead of the mailboxes of some of the 422 customers she served on her delivery route. On Monday, authorities launched a sting operation, planting items in Smith's mailbag with the hopes she would pilfer them. Instead, Ryan said, another item valued at more than $70,000, which he declined to identify, was stolen."

The Postalnewsblog has reported that "Mintel Comperemedia, a service that provides direct marketing competitive intelligence, reports that in Q4 2009—for the first time in three years—credit card direct mail volume increased from the previous quarter. With a 47% increase in direct mail compared to Q3 2009, credit card issuers demonstrate increased confidence in the economy and willingness to extend more consumer credit. However, last year’s direct mail volume still pales in comparison with recent years. Mintel Comperemedia reports that the total number of credit card offers sent in 2009 falls 66% behind the number sent in 2008. Pre-recession (2004-2007), card mailings topped seven billion annually; last year, they didn’t even reach two billion."

The Dallas Morning News has reported that "The U.S. Postal Service next week will begin moving its postmarking unit from the Dallas main post office west of downtown to a newer plant in Coppell."

The Wall Street Journal has reported that "Dutch postal and express company TNT NV and its labor unions Friday said they have reached an agreement in principle on a new collective labor agreement for its postal workers that will result in the loss of 3,500 jobs."

From the Federal Register:

Postal Regulatory Commission  
RULES
New Postal Products , 4693–4698 [2010–1804] [TEXT]  [PDF]  
Postal Service  
PROPOSED RULES
Express Mail Open and Distribute and Priority Mail Open and Distribute Changes and Updates , 4741–4742 [2010–1867] [TEXT]  [PDF]

Hellmail has reported that "Postcomm, the UK postal regulator, today published its proposed work plan for the next two years ahead of a new regulatory framework to be introduced in April 2012. The work plan is subject to consultation but would appear to signal, in the short term at least, that regulatory powers are to remain with Postcomm rather than being transferred to Ofcom as suggested in the Richard Hooper report."

Deadtree Edition has noted that "More than six months ago, published reports warned about a problem with Intelligent Mail barcodes — the practice of letter carriers crossing out the barcode on misaddressed mail. Today, the Postal Service finally got around to correcting the problem."

At the Postal Regulatory Commission: The Postal Service's 2009 Annual Report has been posted on the PRC web site.

From Hellmail: "Review of Royal Mail Financial Report and 2009 Reforms - Part 2"

According to the Daily Mail, "The departure of Adam Crozier from Royal Mail leaves a gaping hole at the top of the state-owned postal group at a key point in the organisation's history. But he has been a divisive figure at Royal Mail. While he has made the business profitable, he has also enjoyed huge financial rewards at the taxpayer-funded organisation."

January 28, 2010

CBC has reported that "Franco-Ontarians frustrated by Canada Post. The mayor of a southern Ontario town says Canada Post needs to consistently recognize his community's name in both official languages."

The ATV Network has reported that "ITV Plc today announced that Adam Crozier will be joining the company, which owns the regional ITV companies across Britain and Wales, as Chief Executive. Adam, who is currently Chief Executive of Royal Mail, will take up his role at the commercial channel 3 broadcaster later this year." See also Business Week and The Guardian and Bloomberg.

Bloomberg has reported that "TNT NV and other Deutsche Post AG competitors won a German high court ruling toppling a government regulation that extended a minimum-wage deal for some postal workers to the entire industry. The Federal Administrative Court in Leipzig, Germany, backed two lower court rulings won by BdKEP, an industry group comprised of Deutsche Post competitors including TNT and PIN AG. The judges rejected an appeal brought by the German government."

MLive has reported that "Residents, officials worry about losing the convenience of a Downtown Bay City Post Office."

According to the Pocono Record, "Pocono Business Journal, an award-winning voice of the local business community based in East Stroudsburg, will end its monthly publication with the February issue. Publisher/Editor-in-Chief Marynell Strunk cited the current economic climate, particularly the declining advertising revenue, followed by rising postal rates and the shrinking print industry as the reasons for the paper's end, to officially take place on Feb. 5."

The Bucks County Courier Times has reported that "Haitian-born mailman Pierre Laguerre is most worried about his 81-year-old mother, who has been without her heart medication since an earthquake destroyed her house. "Significant progress" has been made toward an arrangement that would let a Haitian-born mailman accept donations that residents along his longtime Solebury route collected for his family, but the U.S. Postal Service says he can't keep. A spokeswoman for Bucks County Congressman Patrick Murphy, D-8, on Wednesday declined to provide details about the arrangement in the works, but said that Murphy will continue fighting to ensure that Pierre Laguerre can help his surviving relatives."

You might want to take a look at the video posted by FedNewsTonight on the sole source contracts issued by Robert Bernstock.

The Temple Daily Telegram has reported that "Mail is supposed to be delivered despite snow, rain, heat or gloom of night. But even when the elements weren't to blame, the Temple post office threw away and delayed mail delivery, federal investigators have found. Though mail disruption can be a felony, criminal charges were not filed. Disciplinary or administrative actions were entrusted to the U.S. Postal Service's Rio Grande District in San Antonio. Business owners who had deliverable mail trashed are still chafed because they were not reimbursed their postage or production costs. Employees who watched mail get tossed wonder why violators appeared to suffer no consequences."

The Monitor has reported that "Posta Uganda is struggling to stay in business amid fears of growing debt worsened by a recent cash scandal involving the alleged misuse of $1.2 million (about Shs2.3b), it emerged yesterday."

eNews Park Forest has reported that "Because a viable postal sector is critical to any nation’s economic stability, Chief Postal Inspector William R. Gilligan, Jr. is sending U.S. Postal Inspectors to Haiti to conduct security assessments and help prepare for the restoration of mail service to the earthquake-ravaged country. “Members of the Universal Postal Union all are playing a role in rebuilding the Haitian Postal System,” says Chief Gilligan, who also serves as chairman of the Universal Postal Union’s Postal Security Action Group. “It is tremendous to see the world community come together and respond to the crisis in Haiti. We are proud to stand with our domestic and international partners to do our part to help rebuild the Haitian Postal System.”

USAToday has reported that "Netflix wants video streaming to become more prevalent because the company's postal expenses will fall as it mails out fewer DVDs to subscribers. Netflix estimates it will spend about $600 million on postage this year, with the annual cost rising to $800 million within the next few years. By holding down its mailing expenses, Netflix hopes to be able to spend more money expanding its streaming library."

From the Federal Register:

Postal Regulatory Commission  
NOTICES
New Postal Products , 4593–4594 [2010–1752] [TEXT]  [PDF]  
Postal Service  
NOTICES
Meetings; Sunshine Act , 4594 [2010–1858] [TEXT]  [PDF]

The Macon Telegraph has reported that "Residents protest closing of post office. The closure will place an unnecessary hardship on many people forced to drive the three miles to the full-service post office at 904 Russell Parkway through heavy traffic. Many are not able to drive."

According to the Harvard Neiman Journalism Lab, "for those who think government support of journalism is just something they do in Europe — or that talk of state subsidies are new to this particular downturn — a new report from USC Annenberg is a useful corrective. The study, set to be unveiled today, carefully illustrates that the separation of news and state has never been particularly strong — that for most of American history, journalism has been heavily subsidized by federal and state government. The public support, including tax breaks, postal subsidies and public notice requirements have meant billions for the industry."

The Financial Times has reported that "Washington’s subsidy of the US news media has sunk to dangerously low levels over the past four decades and could erode further, threatening traditional newspaper and magazine publishing. According to a new study released on Thursday by researchers at the University of Southern California Annenberg School for Communication & Journalism, key areas including postal rate discounts and tax breaks on circulation expenditures have fallen to new lows, wiping away billions of dollars in annual funding."

Hellmail has reported that:

Billy Hayes, leader of the Communication Workers Union told a packed House of Commons Committee Room yesterday that unless the Government acts quickly to underwrite the pension deficit, scheduled repayments could seriously damage the Royal Mail's future operations. There has been growing concern that the deficit, rumoured to have grown to £10bn, would leave the Royal Mail strapped for cash at a time when it needed to automate mail processing on a large scale. The stalled Postal Services Bill, now on ice after the government failed to find the right buyer, has left the Royal Mail with the mammoth task of clearing the deficit and rivals furious that much-needed regulatory reform appears to have been shelved.
Post Denmark is to close its letter sorting centre in Midtsjællands and transfer operations to Copenhagen. The company blamed a decline in letter volumes.

At the Postal Regulatory Commission. Docket No. RM2010-4:  The Commission has adopted periodic reporting rules under the authority of section 204(b) of the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act (PAEA). See 39 U.S.C. 3652(a)(1) and (e). Those rules require the Postal Service to obtain advance approval in a notice and comment proceeding under 5 U.S.C. 553 whenever it seeks to change the analytical principles that it applies in preparing the periodic reports to the Commission required by section 3652 of the PAEA. On October 23, 2009, the Postal Service filed a petition to initiate an informal rulemaking to consider changes in the analytical methods approved for use in its periodic reports to the Commission.1 The Commission accepts all of the proposed changes.

January 27, 2010

Nashville Postal Forum
April 11-14, 2010

Great News….The National Postal Forum workshop schedule is now available online! This is the premier mailing industry event. Do not miss this opportunity! To start planning your 2010 National Postal Forum experience -- click the links below. Don’t forget to register….The early bird registration ends February 12th. View The 2010 Nashville Session Matrix Register Now for the 2010 National Postal Forum

From Business Wire: "SkyPostal Networks, Inc., the largest private postal network in Latin America, today announced it has been awarded the contract valued at US$2 million to deliver mail originated by the National Postal Service of France, La Poste. Mail originating from France, United Kingdom and La Poste’s Office of Exchange in the United States will be transported and delivered by SkyPostal into Latin America and Caribbean (LAC)."

According to Autoblog, "A month ago Rep. Jose E. Serrano (D-NY) introduced a bill in the U.S. house of representatives that if passed would provide up to $2 billion to the United States Postal Service (USPS) for vehicle electrification. The money would be used to convert up to 15 percent of the agency's 142,000 vehicle fleet to plug-in capability. Not satisfied Serrano's proposal, Rep. Gerald E. Connolly (D-VA) has put together a bill that would require 75 percent of the USPS fleet or 109,500 units to be switched over to electric vehicles. The turnover would happen over a period of five years. The Serrano bill, H.R. 4399, would establish five pilot programs of 4,000 vehicles each."

At the Postal Regulatory Commission: The public is invited to attend the open session of the monthly meeting of the Postal Regulatory Commission at 11:00 a.m., February 3, 2010, at Commission Headquarters, 901 New York Ave., NW, Suite 200.

MATTERS TO BE CONSIDERED IN PUBLIC SESSION:
1. Report on Congressional Committee staff briefings. 2. Report on international activities. 3. Status of Annual Compliance Review. 4. Status of other active cases. 5. Update on recent activities of Joint Periodicals Task Force and status of anticipated report to the Congress pursuant to section 708 of the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act of 2006. 6. Status of preliminary assessment of social benefits of the mail. 7. Report on professional papers prepared by Commission staff members for submission to technical conferences. 8. Discussion of correspondence received from the National Governors Association. 9. Report on additions to the Commission’s external website. 10. Discussion of audio streaming and podcasting options for Commission meetings and report on audio streaming polices at other Federal agencies.
PORTIONS CLOSED TO THE PUBLIC:
11. Discussion of pending litigation (USPS v. PRC). 12. Personnel matters – alignment of Commission offices with operational goals.

The Hickory Record has reported that "The United States Postal Service began considering shifting some operations from the Hickory Processing and Distribution Facility to the Greensboro plant in August. After five months of study, deliberation and town hall meetings, the USPS has decided to make the move. The Hickory location is primarily a sorting hub and is not to be confused with the downtown Hickory Post Office. The downtown location will remain open for business."

According to the Courier, Express, and Postal Observer, "The Globe and Mail today has an article that indicates that Canadian mailers are taking advantage of lower Postal Service rates to mail letters and parcels across Canada. "For a small but growing number of this country's eBay vendors, the cheapest path across Canada lies through the heart of America. Canadians are showing up in increasing numbers at U.S. Postal Service outlets with parcels and letters destined for other provinces – and, in at least one case, a neighbouring town." Later in the article, it is clear why this is happening, the rates for the Postal Service's money-losing Media Mail service is so low, it is worth it for Canadians to drive to the United States to ship books, records, CD's and DVD's."

DMM Advisory: Intelligent Mail Services Update.

• PostalOne! ^® Maintenance: The reporting database used for the Mail Quality/MicroStrategy reports will be upgraded to a new version of database software on January 31, 2010 during the PostalOne! maintenance window (4:00 a.m. – 8:00 a.m. CST). This only impacts access to the MicroStrategy reports listed on the Business Customer Gateway for external users under Mailing Reports (PostalOne!). Once users are logged on, follow these links: Mail Quality Reports>Shared Reports>Mail Quality Reporting>Mail Data Quality. Access to these reports will not be available during the maintenance window. There will be no additional outage/impact to PostalOne! during this period.

• STIDs on RIBBS^®:  The presentation entitled IMb™ Services: Service Type Identifiers (STIDs) prepared by MTAC Workgroup 124 has been posted on RIBBS>Intelligent Mail Services>Education.

DMM Advisory: Folded Self-Mailers — Changing Standards. Working in collaboration with the mailing industry, the Postal Service™ conducted a three-year study of non-enveloped letter-style mailpieces processed on automated letter sorting equipment. The study included mailpieces designed to test specifications and also included examples of folded self-mailers produced by the mailing industry. A thorough analysis of the data collected during testing is currently under review. Based on findings of the analysis, changes to the characteristics of folded self-mailers mailed at automation or machinable letter prices may be developed. We will publish any proposed new standards in the Federal Register and encourage mail owners, mail preparers, and other interested parties to provide feedback during the comment period that will follow.  Ater comments on the proposal are received and evaluated, a final rule will be published in the Federal Register and subsequently in the Postal Bulletin. An effective date that provides time for production planning will be included in the final rule. Until the final rule is published, the current folded self-mailer requirements apply as described in DMM 201.3.14. Stay tuned for further information on the self-mailer study and possible proposed requirements.

Geek.com has asked: "Have you wondered just how much spam is traveling out there on the Internet? The European Network and Information Security Agency (ENISA) has just published a report on the methods used to reduce spam reaching e-mail users. In that report, compiled by survey responders from 92 different e-mail providers in 30 countries, the amount of legitimate e-mail that lands in a users e-mail account is only 4.4 percent. This means the rest of the e-mails that get blocked are considered spam and they account for over 95.6 percent of e-mail traffic."

The Consumer Postal Council has posted a piece on Pos Indonesia.

• How Can the Postal Service Reduce the Costs Associated with Postage Stamps? Are there better alternatives to stamps? Given the Postal Service's current financial condition, does the Postal Service really need to produce so many stamps, some of which are not cost effective, or are eventually destroyed?

According to Rag Content, "It appears, through default, the OIG has taken over the creative thinking of the Postal Service. Instead of looking at the problems in a new way, the USPS management goes right to cost cutting – cut workhours, cut service, and cut delivery days. It continues to make mail less attractive through regulations and passing costs onto customers."

The Courier, Express, and Postal Observer has noted that "in a previous post, "Re-Regulating the Postal Service?", I noted that the Postal Regulatory Commission's (PRC) interest in examining the Postal Service's FY 2009 Annual Compliance Report represents the potential for a mini rate case. Now that the PRC has chosen to proceed, this has happened. In addition, the PRC has chosen to enter uncharted territory, examination of the Postal Service's financial and business plans by asking whether the Postal Service generated sufficient revenue in 2009 "to assure adequate revenues, including retained earnings, to maintain financial stability." [39 U.S.C. § 3622(b)(5)] Overhanging all of the specific areas of inquiring discussed below, postal stakeholders face a concern that hangs over the entire proceeding. If the PRC find the Postal Service to not be in compliance with any of the ratemaking rules included in 39 U.S.C. § 3622, can it force the Postal Service to file an exigent rate case to put it in compliance?"

From PRNewswire: "MailExpress, Inc., announced the appointment of Jon Routledge, senior vice president of sales, and Holly Noah, director of marketing, to the management team. The addition of both sales and marketing leadership supports the company's focus on accelerating revenue and customer growth. Routledge's career spans 23 years in the express logistics and transportation industry, leading customer-focused organizations in roles encompassing sales, operations and general management. He most recently served as Vice President, Express Global Customer Solutions at DHL Express. "Jon's track record of consistently delivering over target revenue results as a challenger brand in a highly competitive market gives us confidence in his ability to drive rapid, profitable revenue growth at MailExpress," commented Randy Clark, President and CEO."

USAToday has reported that "Whenever a crisis occurs, logistics is the first thing that needs addressing," says Ed Martinez, director of philanthropy and corporate relations for the UPS Foundation in Atlanta. UPS says it urges its employees to volunteer during natural disasters and other crises. Along with executives who, like Arnold, have their own relationships with charities, the company has a 20-person Logistics Emergency Team in Asia, Europe and the Americas that is trained in humanitarian relief. Team members perform "skill-based volunteering" while still earning their pay."

As the Wall Street Journal has noted, "The investigation of the 2001 anthrax attacks ended as far as the public knew on July 29, 2008, with the death of Bruce Ivins, a senior biodefense researcher at the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID) in Fort Detrick, Md. The cause of death was an overdose of the painkiller Tylenol. No autopsy was performed, and there was no suicide note. Less than a week after his apparent suicide, the FBI declared Ivins to have been the sole perpetrator of the 2001 Anthrax attacks, and the person who mailed deadly anthrax spores to NBC, the New York Post, and Sens. Tom Daschle and Patrick Leahy. These attacks killed five people, closed down a Senate office building, caused a national panic, and nearly paralyzed the postal system. The FBI's six-year investigation was the largest inquest in its history, involving 9,000 interviews, 6,000 subpoenas, and the examination of tens of thousands of photocopiers, typewriters, computers and mailboxes. Yet it failed to find a shred of evidence that identified the anthrax killer—or even a witness to the mailings. With the help of a task force of scientists, it found a flask of anthrax that closely matched—through its genetic markers—the anthrax used in the attack."

The Daily Campus (UConn) has told its readers that "Disbanding the U.S. post office would save $7 billion per year."

From MoreRFID: "Wise Media announces the creation of Postal Innovation, a new global initiative to connect representatives of the postal and express shipping organizations with experts in the field of security, wireless and automatic identification from around the world, bringing to life the first international think-tank and observatory on innovative technologies and methods adopted in the postal market sector."

Marketing Week has reported that "The direct mail industry needs to do more to reduce the impact of unwanted “junk” mail on the environment, according to MPs. Research on behalf of the All Party Group on Junk Mail, found that almost three quarters (73%) of MPs do not believe the industry takes appropriate measures to mitigate the environmental impact of DM. Almost all (97%) of the MPs polled said they receive unsolicited junk mail and have concerns about the steps taken by the industry to improve data handling and reduce the environmental impact of direct mail."

According to the Portsmouth News, "A prospective MP has launched an attack on a 'penny pinching' move to cut postal services to British armed forces personnel serving abroad. Tory Caroline Dinenage has denounced government plans to scrap 'vital' British Forces Post Office (BPFO) services and send mail through foreign companies instead."

The Niagara Gazette has reported that "The good news is that Jan DiFranco knew she hadn’t won. When the letter came to her 71st Street home, Jan DiFranco saw right away that some unsavory folks were trying to steal from her. But she worried that other people might not. If she had fallen for the letter’s news that she had won $125,000 in U.S. dollars, she might have decided to cash the accompanying check for $3,980 which was enclosed to “assist you in paying the necessary government applicable taxes on your winning.” While it looked convincing, the letter had many indications it was written by a scammer so DiFrancesco knew not to cash the check.U.S. Postal Inspector Ray Williams said letters and checks such as DiFrancesco received cross his desk nearly every day. He said that consumers need to know if they cash the fake checks, they are liable for the money they take from the bank. “You present a check, money order, or debit card and ultimately the bank and the law presume you are presenting them something legitimate,” he said."

Check out Hellmail for more on these stories:

The Ukrainian Postal Service (Ukrposhta) has begun offering a hybrid mail service as part of its online services. See also KyviPost.
A Bulgarian Post audit reveals vehicle abuses.

The latest issue of the Prescott Report is now available online. In this issue:

• Winterberry Group's analysis of media spend on and offline in 2009 and predictions for 2010.
• Case Study in fund-raising in The Netherlands: Aha! Marketing, POP and direct mail. Over 400% ROI on a campaign to fix wounded windmills.
• Going to Battle in US Courts - a warning to foreign companies to "get their data retention policies in order".
• US-based ETOEs. Kate Muth asks important questions on treatment by State and Homeland Security of  foreign posts exporting mail from the US.
• Health Insurance. The Cost in Europe-an unscientific survey of Lucerna Juris lawyers.
• Privacy Updates: Red Flags Rules from the FTC; European Commission considering changes to the Data Protection Directive; Targeted Marketing - more developments in the policy-making meetings.

The latest issue of the National Association of Major Mail Users (NAMMU) publication, eView, has been posted on this site. It makes clear that Canadian direct marketers are not waiting for others to promote mail as a valuable business transactional tool.

The Daily Sun has reported that "The Nigerian Postal Service (NIPOST) has intercepted fake $151,000 traveller’s cheques and $100,000 at its Ikeja, Lagos, General Post Office (GPO). The fake traveller’s cheques in $500 denomination were in an envelope and addressed to one Neitria Adams, 6531 S Lowe Avenue, Chicago, Il, 60621, USA."

From the Courier, Express, and Postal Observer: "The Direct Mail Market: Structure and Success Factors."

January 24, 2010

From Newswire Today: "The Reverse Logistics Association (RLA) will return to Las Vegas for the 7th Annual RLA Conference & Expo!. The world’s largest Reverse Logistics event runs for three full days February 8-10, 2010, and football legend and current NFL coach Mike Singletary will join the event."

The Faster Times has an article on "Why Italian Post Offices Are Always Crowded."

The Temple Daily Telegram has reported that "Mail is supposed to be delivered despite snow, rain, heat or gloom of night. But even when the elements weren't to blame, the Temple post office threw away and delayed mail delivery, federal investigators have found."

The Dayton Daily News has reported that "DHL, the express delivery company that wiped out 8,000 jobs and the region’s largest employer by closing the U.S. freight hub there to save money, has pledged to donate the 1,500-acre airport and assets including its package sorting system and air traffic control tower to the Clinton County Port Authority. Public officials are savoring the chance to be optimistic, after the gloom of the region’s massive job losses."

January 23, 2010

Hellmail has reported that "TNT Post Holding Deutschland GmbH has signed an agreement with Verlagsgruppe Georg von Holtzbrinck GmbH & Co. KG, CITIPOST-Verbund-GmbH and Logistic-Mail-Factory (a company of Mediengruppe Pressedruck, Augsburg) to establish “mail alliance” in Germany. With this new alliance, TNT Post strengthens the existing co-operation with the mail distribution companies of leading German publishers. “mail alliance” will be operational as of 25 January 2010."

WENY has reported that "25 postal workers in Elmira have received official notice their jobs are being abolished. At the beginning of the month, employees received 60-day notices saying their jobs were potentially affected. Now, it's official."

January 22, 2010

The latest copy of the National Association of Postmasters of the U.S. electronic governmental affairs newsletter is available on the NAPUS web site.

Ever want to know what in blazes is an STID? Well, now you can know. A presentation on Service Type Identifiers has been posted on RIBBS.

 
The latest issue of the PostCom Bulletin is available online. In this issue:

• New OIG Study Estimates USPS Overpaid CSRS By $75 Billion
• Congressional Research Service Issues Report On USPS Financial Condition
• USPS Posts Assumed Federal Income Tax On Competitive Products
• PRC  Concludes Phase II Of Nonpostal Review
• Conjuring Conversation And Consensus - - A New Year’s Resolution
• USPS Proposes Flats Deflection Non-Compliance Prices
• Enshrining A Twentieth Century Postal Service
• Pensions: Another Government Rip-Off Of The Postal Service
• Postal Notes
• From The Federal Register
• DMM Advisory Update
• At The Postal Regulatory Commission
• From The OIG
• Over There . . . . International Postal News
• Postal Previews

Hey! You've not been getting the weekly PostCom Bulletin--the best postal newsletter anywhere...bar none?  Send us by email your name, company, company title, postal and email address. Get a chance to see what you've been missing.

The PostCom Bulletin is distributed via NetGram

According to the Wall Street Journal, "With the new tablet device that is debuting next week, Apple Inc. Chief Executive Steve Jobs is betting he can reshape businesses like textbooks, newspapers and television much the way his iPod revamped the music industry—and expand Apple's influence and revenue as a content middleman. In developing the device, Apple focused on the role the gadget could play in homes and in classrooms, say people familiar with the situation....Despite its digital legacy, Apple is betting that its Tablet can revitalize television, magazines and newspapers in the way iTunes changed music. For classrooms, Apple has been exploring electronic-textbook technology. Apple also has been looking at how content from newspapers and magazines can be presented differently on the tablet, according to the people familiar with the situation....Other people briefed on the device say the tablet will come with a virtual keyboard. Apple has recently been in discussions with book, magazine and newspaper publishers about how they can work together."

From USPS MTAC co-chair Stephen Kearney: "The 2010 Census mailings begin in a few weeks—a historic volume of approximately 447 million mail pieces will be entered into the system. We want to assure you that we have been working to make sure our acceptance, transportation, operations and delivery functions are ready to handle it. All of our efforts will ensure that the Census mail volume will not affect, in any way, service performance for our customers."

According to The International News, "Despite the exertion of Pakistan Post for making the postal services proficient with the introduction of modern innovative trends the population in the rural areas are still lacking essential facilities of an efficient service. The poor service of Pakistan Post in the rural areas of the country including Islamabad is not capable to fulfil the requirements of the people and thus forcing them to adopt other measures to achieve the objective. The customers are of the view the present postal service is lacking level of required qualitative service to cope with the needs of the public which has to miss several important occasions of using the postal services."

From SBWire: "PC to Mobile text messaging service, ZapitSMS, is being increasingly favoured by businesses large and small as a tool to enhance their current communication systems. The new decade has signaled the need for system upgrades for many companies around the world. And with the rise of using SMS from PC’s, there is a clear preference for internet and mobile phone technology over landline telephones and postal mail."

Wired has reported that "The U.S. Postal Service keeps chugging along in its quest to find an electric delivery truck, and it has enlisted the help of two outfits for the final part of its study. One of them, AC Propulsion, is well-known within the EV community. The other, AutoPort, is the company that gets to do the heavy lifting. The companies will work together on the engineering, development and conversion of a conventional mail truck to electric power, one of five ideas the Postal Service is considering to begin electrifying its fleet of 142,000 vehicles. Once the truck is built and tested, it will see duty on the streets of Washington, D.C. AC Propulsion CEO Tom Gage is confident his truck will measure up."

According to The Times of Malta, "Maltapost has reported pre-tax profit in excess of €3 million for the year ending September 30, 2009 despite the company's revenue dropping by 1.4 per cent over its previous one-year term. The company reported revenue of €20.19 million, resulting in a profit that was 10 per cent up over last year. The drop in revenue was due to lower volumes of domestic mail and lower sales of philately to enthusiasts. This, however, was compensated by an increase in overseas mail. The company also managed to cut costs by 3.4 per cent to €17.3 million, following a review of its operational process. A recent survey by the communications authority showed that 85 per cent of households and 69.8 per cent of small businesses were satisfied with the service it provided."

Devon24 has reported that "Geoffrey Cox, MP for Torridge and West Devon, has met senior Post Office executives to discuss the continued and persistent technical problems that have blighted Mobile Post Offices across Devon. The MP urged a review of the mobile van service, and in particular, whether it can provide a long term, robust and reliable service to rural communities. The Post Office has promised to perform such a review in the light of recent problems."

Be sure to take a look at the Congressional Research Service report on "The U.S. Postal Service’s Financial Condition: Overview and Issues for Congress."

Advertising Age has reported that "The U.S. Supreme Court in a 5 to 4 decision dealt a major blow to campaign finance limits today, potentially opening the floodgates for additional political ad spending by corporations, unions and special interest groups. "I think it takes an already bulked up [election season] and puts it on steroids," said Evan Tracey, president of TNS Media Intelligence's Competitive Media Analysis Group, which tracks campaign finance spending. He suggested the decision's biggest impact could be on last-minute spending in major races. Campaign finance advocates said the court's decision could also fuel more spending across the board. [EdNote: I presume that means mail-related spending too. Could be good news for USPS FY2010, an election year.]

Whoa! Hotstuff from Hellmail: "The Communication Workers Union confirmed today that an interim agreement established late last year to call a halt to strike action at Royal Mail, remains in place whilst talks continue. A deadline had originally been set for today for both sides to establish full agreement on the pace and change of modernisation at Royal Mail but this has now been postponed."

According to Deadtree Edition, "It may be time to bid farewell to the tabloid-sized American magazine. A variety of forces have been conspiring for several decades to put oversized magazines onto the endangered-species list. Now the U.S. Postal Service appears ready to put the tabloid magazine (and catalog) out of existence."

And this from the Postal Service: "ACS fulfillment for Wednesday morning January 20 has been delayed. The posting of fulfillment files should begin around noon today. We apologize for any inconvenience."

According to Paper and Other Absolute Truths [truly a whale of a name], "The Postal Service offers us a wonderful opportunity to see how well the Federal Government manages a business. The results are not impressive. The Dead Tree Edition ran a story last week, Postal Service Inefficiency Drives Up Periodical Costs, and documented another sad example of Postal “business” practices. If you link to this article, there are additional stories of Postal mismanagement listed at the bottom of the post."

Automobile magazine has reported that "Although Chrysler had once hoped to build electric vans for the United States Postal Office, AC Propulsion and AutoPort were contracted to develop a prototype EV postal van for small-scale testing."

Hellmail has reported that "An agreement concerning the future organisation of postal deliveries in Belgium was concluded within the Joint consultative committee yesterday. The agreement takes into account concerns raised over those on temporary contracts and addresses the need to reduce costs ahead of the full opening up of trhe Belgian postal market in 2011."

Postmaster General John Potter today announced the retirement of two members of the Citizen’s Stamp Advisory Committee and the addition of three new members. The committee annually reviews stamp suggestions from 50,000 Americans before recommending approximately 20 topics for the Postmaster General’s approval. New members are internationally acclaimed award-winning poet and past chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts Dana Gioia of Washington, DC. He will be joined by two international award-winning graphic designers Antonio Alcalá of Alexandria, VA, and Eric Madsen of Minneapolis, MN. Lifelong stamp collector, philatelic writer, editor, researcher, exhibitor and lecturer John Hotchner, and patron of the arts and former second lady Joan Mondale will leave the committee.

January 21, 2010

"FedEx Corp. has once again been named to FORTUNE magazine’s list of the “100 Best Companies to Work For” in the United States in 2010. The company is ranked 91st overall and was recognized specifically for its ability to manage through the economic downtown by taking proactive steps to minimize layoffs and reinstate salary increases and 401(k) match, which the company suspended last year in the midst of the economic downturn."

Parcelindustry.com has published its "13th Annual Rate Analysis" for USPS, UPS, and Fedex rates.

From MarketResearch.com: "The advertising market is undergoing a rapid transformation due to a shift in consumer media consumption patterns and communication preferences. InfoTrends has polled over 1,300 European consumers from five countries across Europe to get a better understanding of the dynamics at work, and has complemented those insights with the latest figures on European advertising expenditures. This analysis concludes with how to assess the impact of potentially disrupting technologies and provides recommendations on how to develop strategies that promote print in a world where communications are increasingly produced electronically and online."

The Miami Herald has reported that "Union members are expected to gather outside a Liberty City post office Thursday afternoon to protest its pending closure. The South Florida AFL-CIO and Postal Union officials are organizing the event, which will start at 4:30 p.m. at the Edison Post Office, 760 NW 62nd St."

CEP News (Courier-Express-Postal), published by the MRU Consultancy, has reported that:

TNT withdraws from letter mail delivery in Austria.
Deutsche Post is obviously able to realise the expansion of its low cost subsidiary First Mail (CEP-News 51/09) due to an agreement with a former competitor. News magazine »Spiegel« (18.01) reported under reference to internal letters and redundancy programmes that Deutsche Post stroke an agreement with media concern WAZ. WAZ’s own mail delivery service, which is covering the Ruhr District, will be suspended on February 1. Most of the 600 deliverers will be taken over. According to information gleaned by the CEP-News WAZ’s mail service division had to cope with losses of 7m euros last year.
Many viewers and market observers agreed: the controversial and often critisized Swiss Post’s chairman of the administrative board, Claude Béglé, got out of the tight spot by his last week’s TV appearance. In a nationwide broadcasted TV magazine he presented himself hand-tame and admitted he made mistakes.
The standstill agreement between the postal union CWU and Royal Mail ends on Friday this week.
Korea Post is focussing on international business and financial services to create growth this year.
Deutsche Post launched a first price information about the announced new ’Online Letter’ (CEP-News 47/09). According to last week’s official notice a hybrid letter - online dispatch and physical delivery to the addressee - will cost 46 eurocent, almost 16.4% less than a standard letter.
Austria Post was able to increase the parcel volume by 20% last year.
UPS announced the roll-out of the fifth generation of its ’Delivery Information Acquisition Device’ (DIAD).
FedEx has to look for a new courier partner in Uganda. After twelve years of cooperation the East African Courier Uganda quitted the collaboration.
AeroLogic, the joint venture cargo airline of DHL Express and Lufthansa Cargo, is expanding its network.
Jürg Bucher, Swiss Post’s new CEO, stepped down from two of his positions in the supervisory board due to his double responsibilities as Swiss Post’s and and PostFinance’s CEO.

The MRU, founded in 1992, is the only consultancy in Europe, which has specialised in the market of courier-, express- and parcel services. For large-scale shippers and CEP-services in particular, the MRU provides interdisciplinary advice for all major questions of the market, as there are for example market entry, product design, organisation, and EDP.To learn more about the stories reported above, contact CEP News. (We appreciate the courtesy extended by CEP News to help whet your appetite for more of what CEP offers.)

Foster's Daily Democrat has reported that "The manager of the city's Postal Service branch remained out of the office Wednesday, one day after he was escorted out of the building by a Postal Service representative. The reason for the removal remained unclear. Last year, the manager was investigated by the Postal Service's Office of the Inspector General for altering his employees' time sheets. The investigation did not say the employees lost pay, but an employee told Foster's in November that the manager would electronically delete employee overtime, resulting in lost wages."

Bobsguide has reported that "The global transaction division of Deutsche Bank has announced it is to acquire an eight per cent share in Eurogiro. Eurogiro is the second largest network for international payments within the financial and postal sectors."

The Washington Post has noted that "One of China's most popular bloggers, Han Han, posted a satirical essay this week in which he imagined headlines about China's censored Internet in a post-Google era: In 2011, Google, Facebook and YouTube announce their return to the Chinese market -- but the news is censored, so no one finds out. The government allocates 100 billion yuan as part of an economic stimulus package to hire people to post Internet comments; it sets a target of 100 billion positive posts. After a few years, e-mail disappears and 5 million Internet-related jobs are lost, but the revived postal service hires 100,000 workers."

Hellmail has noted that "UK Mail, which operates a network of more than 50 sites and 3,500 vehicles in the UK, saw a further rise in revenues in the latter part of 2009. The company has seen annual rises in revenue of around 4%, which it put down to an increase in junk mail but also noted a return in confidence by businesses as the recession eased. "

According to Deadtree Edition, "The U.S. Postal Service isn't a money-losing operation, just a victim of unfair pension accounting by the federal government, a report from USPS's Inspector General indicated."

From the Federal Register:

Assistance: Contact the PostalOne! Help Desk at postalonehelpdesk@usps.com or call 800-522-9085 if you have any questions or problems accessing the Business Customer Gateway, your accounts, or submitting electronic documentation. The PostalOne! Help Desk is accessible from Canada at no charge.

The Hindu has reported that "The ‘Tirukkural Kalvi Maiyam’ has urged the Centre to announce a concessional postal tariff for ‘Pongal’ greetings, with a view to reviving the tradition of exchanging wishes on the occasion of this festival which symbolised Tamil culture."

"The high-ups of Directorate General of Pakistan Post in sheer violation of PPRA rules as well as departmental policy have purchased medicines in bulk on inflated rates under the garb of ‘centralised purchase’ for obvious reason of getting maximum kickbacks, The Nation has learnt reliably."

From PRWeb: "Print & Post has achieved the industry standard and coveted Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI-DSS) Certification for its Mailstream services through ControlCase's PCI-DSS Certification program. The PCI DSS, a set of comprehensive requirements for enhancing payment account data security, was developed by the founding payment brands of the PCI Security Standards Council, including American Express, Discover Financial Services, JCB International, MasterCard Worldwide and Visa Inc. Inc. International, to help facilitate the broad adoption of consistent data security measures on a global basis. The PCI DSS was created by major credit card companies to safeguard customer information and mandates that merchants and service providers meet and maintain stringent security standards when they process and transmit cardholder data."

Korea Times has reported that "Korea Post, the country's mail service provider, is turning its eyes to business opportunities abroad, not only in mailing services but also with a number of new financial offerings. ``Our top priority in 2010 is to nurture our capacity for sustainable growth. Toward that end, we plan to foster our mailing services and beef up our international businesses,'' Korea Post President Namgung Min told reporters Monday. ``Plus, we will pull out all the stops in order to improve our productivity through efficient management with the aim of earning more than 110 billion won in profits this year,'' he said."

Bernama has reported that "Pos Malaysia Bhd Monday unveiled the Pos-Automated-Machine (PAM) and Pos-on-Wheels (POW) or Mobile Post Office." See also Business Times.

Postalnews.com carries the following news stories from USPS News Link:

• Linda Welch has been named acting vice president, Area Operations, for the Southeast Area. She succeeds Terry Wilson, who was appointed in 2006.
• The Office of Inspector General (OIG) and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service have launched a joint year-long initiative to combat workers’ compensation fraud.

Transport Intelligence has reported that "UPS has announced plans to significantly increase its global service parts logistics (SPL) network by establishing 101 new field stocking locations (FSLs) in China. With the expansion, UPS covers 89 key cities across China with more than 110 bonded and non-bonded FSLs. Companies in a variety of industries that require same-day and/or next-business-day delivery of critical service parts will benefit from UPS's expansion. Examples of these industries include high-tech/electronics, medical equipment and aerospace."

The Citizen has reported:

• A new postal address system for Tanzaniato replace the old mail boxes will be officially launched here today. Under it, mails and parcels transported through the normal postal networks will be delivered to residential and business premises which will have post codes. President Jakaya Kikwete is expected to officially launch the New National Addressing and Postcodes project which has been piloted in Arusha since 2008. The minister for Communications, Science and Technology Prof Peter Msolla told reporters here yesterday that implementation of the project would take five years. Phase One slated for 2010 and 2011 will cover the municipalities, towns and district headquarters while the second phase will be implemented in villages and informal settlements in urban areas. The multi-billion shilling project pioneers the implementation of a street-type addressing system with postcodes and the creation of a national address database.
• Postal services in Africa are still viable platforms for communication despite onslaught from the electronic super highways. Because of its large network, it can effectively facilitate access of populations to ICT-based products and services and thereby significantly contributing to the digital divide. This was said here yesterday during a press conference by Mrs Rodah Masaviru, the director general of the Pan African Postal Union (PAPU), ahead of its 30th anniversary celebrations this week.

January 17, 2010

The Bristol Herald Courier has reported that "Delegate Mark D. Sickles, D-Fairfax has introduced a bill last week in the General Assembly that would fine newspaper publishers $25 a day when they deliver to a residence that hasn’t requested the paper. Sickles’ bill has a noble goal: to prevent newspapers from piling up outside homes where the occupants are away – a tipoff for potential thieves."

According to the Observer-Reporter, "The Postal Service must continue to raise its rates because its volume has decreased so much, and one of the few ways that it could stop losing so much money and become more competitive with other delivery services is to stop delivering mail on Saturdays. It could save an enormous amount of money while still keeping its post offices open for business on Saturday. And the amount of fuel that this nation might save by eliminating that day's deliveries is more than 100 million gallons a year. Rate This Story: 1 the lowest - 5 the highest 1 2 3 4 5 Current rating: 3.5 This only makes sense, but Congress, of course, has no concept of sense; it has only the concept of re-election. As an appropriations bill was making its way through the Capitol, an amendment requiring the USPS to continue six-day delivery attached itself to the bill like a barnacle to the hull of a ship. That ship carried many billions of dollars necessary to keep the country running, so it chugged into law on Dec. 16."

The Portsmouth News has reported that "Royal Mail is facing tough criticism and questions from customers angry that they failed to receive post for more than a week because of the snow. There is outrage that hundreds of staff were unable to deliver letters during the cold snap. Services are only just starting to return to normal as the snow thaws."

The Boston Herald has reported that:

• Amid a hard-fought Senate race, Democratic candidate Martha Coakley tried to rev up union support yesterday by pledging to support organizing efforts of FedEx carrier workers across the country. Appearing at a Watertown rally with more than 100 Teamsters, Coakley promised to “level the playing field” for some FedEx workers now banned from unionizing under the federal Railway Labor Act. Coakley expressed support for the so-called “Express Carrier Protection Act,” which would effectively pull thousands of workers out from under the railway act and allow them to join unions.
• Shipping giant UPS isn’t amused by a Democratic Party campaign pamphlet attacking Republican Senate candidate Scott Brown that plays off the company’s slogan “What can Brown do for you?” Atlanta-based United Parcel Service, known for its ubiquitous brown trucks, demanded yesterday that the Massachusetts Democratic Party, which is listed as paying for the pamphlet, stop distributing it. The mailer asks “What can Brown do to you?” It shows Scott Brown dressed up as a UPS driver and says, “He can reward corporations that ship your job overseas just like George W. Bush.”

January 16, 2010

The Daily Journal has reported that "About a year ago, Jake Wang noticed a reversal in one trend he has tracked for years from an office in Los Angeles. Using computer software that monitors the whirring of 700,000 printers and multifunctional devices in businesses, Wang charted the first-ever drop in the number of pages Americans were printing. “It was like going over a waterfall,” said Wang, an analyst for the business consultant and market-research firm IDC. “Starting with the fourth quarter of 2008, we saw a definite drop in page outputs,” which nonetheless totaled 1.5 trillion pages for the year — or 5,000 printout sheets per man, woman and child. That number will be lower this year, perhaps by more than 10 percent, though it had been climbing steadily since 2000. A temporary effect of the slow economy or the beginning of a society truly less glued to paper?"

As The Lansdale Reporter has noted, "They deal with paper — and lots of it — all the time. So it makes sense that the U.S. Postal Service would launch a P.O. Box Lobby Recycling Program at its post offices under the banner of "Read, Respond, Recycle." "What we encourage customers to do is remove your mail, read your mail — that's the 'read' part — take whatever action is necessary — that's the 'respond' part," said USPS regional spokeswoman Cathy Yarosky."

Tunisia Online has reported that "A partnership agreement was signed on Friday in Tunis by Mr. Abdellatif Saddam, President of the Consumer Defence Organisation (ODC) and Mr. Mohamed Zouhaier Basly, Director General of the Tunisian Post Office (ONP). The agreement aims at further enhancing the quality of postal services. The agreement will ensure various programs and activities aiming at improving the quality of services provided by the Tunisian Posts to its customers."

The Gloucester County Times has reported that "The United States Postal Service and the union representing more than 500 workers at the mail facility located in Logan Township have decided to allow a third party to resolve their differences. Earlier this month, the American Postal Workers Union filed an injunction in U.S. District Court to prevent the Postal Service from shuttering operations there."

The Los Angeles Times has reported that "The announcements this week that three of the country's largest airlines are again increasing baggage fees came as bad news for airline passengers, who must already pay for such extras as blankets, pillows and snacks. United Parcel Service Inc., FedEx Corp. and the U.S. Postal Service have all encouraged airline passengers to ship their luggage instead of hauling it through a crowded airport. And if the airlines continue to raise fees, the shipping companies see a chance for more business in the future."

As Hellmail has noted: "One estimate put the total energy and fossil fuels used in producing the average desktop computer at 6400 megajoules (MJ) and 260 kg, another that construction of the average desktop computer uses ten times it's weight in fossil fuels. A microchip consumes 630 times its weight in fossil fuels. The high energy levels employed along with relatively short life cycles on equipment don't make for particularly inspiring reading although increasingly these levels are dropping as manufacturers are nudged into reducing their carbon footprint further. There are also further carbon emission reductions to be found through networks that use one server supplying several users and greater use of renewable or recyclable components but dealing with the waste from computer equipment is a very real problem that we have not fully addressed. Some might argue that since these systems are already on (the internet), the transmission of digital documents adds little, but isn't that rather like saying "I was only the passenger in this gas-guzzling 4x4" and whilst it may be true that digital mail doesn't have to be shunted around in lorries, the infrastructure on which it depends certainly does have a carbon footprint and for that reason it can't be seen as a standalone technology when trying to evaluate the true scale of any environmental impact. It has to be said that without the networks, the product no longer exists."

Hellmail has reported that "Latvian Post Continues Post Office Network Shrinkage."

Deadtree Edition has announced that "It’s official: The U.S. Postal Service will not be able to carry out the usual May increase in First Class, Standard, and Periodicals rates this year. And there may be a bit of good news for mailers next year as well. With today’s release of the December Consumer Price Index (CPI), the Postal Service’s annual rate cap for the “market-dominant” classes is -0.36%. That's because lower gasoline prices and the economic recession caused the average monthly CPI in 2009 to be below 2008's average."

Senator Jay Rockefeller has sent a follow-up letter to the United States Postal Service’s (USPS) Western Pennsylvania District Manager, Charles P. McCreadie, voicing his continued opposition to possible consolidation of operations at the Wheeling, West Virginia Post Office into the Pittsburgh Processing and Distribution Center. As part of the consolidation, the post office plans to eliminate at least 6 positions at the Wheeling facility. A member of Senator Rockefeller’s staff was present at the Postal Service Public Meeting at Wheeling Park High School to submit Senator Rockefeller’s letter for the record. Last year, Senators Rockefeller and Byrd sent a similar letter to Mr. McCreadie expressing concern over the Area Mail Processing (AMP) study that occurred.

The Postal Service announced today it has placed a temporary hold on all mail destined to the nation of Haiti.

The Business Journal has noted that "FedEx Corp. will hike rates 5.9 percent at its less-than-truckload subsidiaries, FedEx Freight and FedEx National LTL, effective Feb. 1. The rate increase is in line with increases Memphis, Tenn.-based FedEx (NYSE: FDX) announced late last year within its other subsidiaries. Effective Jan. 4, FedEx Ground and FedEx Home Delivery rates went up by an average of 4.9 percent. FedEx Express shipping rates increased 5.9 percent for U.S. domestic and U.S. export services. Those rates will be offset, at least partially, by a two percentage point reduction in FedEx Express’ fuel surcharge."

The Bowling Green Daily News has reported that "More than 200 elected leaders, business owners, postal workers, concerned residents and retirees packed inside a local school auditorium Thursday. They all had something in common - they depend on mail service. And they’re worried for the future of that service."

January 15, 2010

According to the UniGlobal Union, "Hundreds of US postal employees say they're ill with what they call severe, mysterious, respiratory problems. Current and former postal workers are blaming paper dust inside the post offices. In the United States hundreds of postal employees say they're ill with what they call severe, mysterious, respiratory problems. Current and former postal workers are blaming paper dust inside the post offices. In an investigation by the US broadcaster, ABC the workers affected say they have not been able to gain recognition from the employers that this is a real workplace health & safety issue that should be resolved."

Fox17 has reported that "The Postal Service pledges to get mail delivered through the worst of snow. A Lansing-area company says it would like to get paid for plowing it. MTS Lawn & Landscaping Services is suing the U.S. postmaster, claiming it still hasn't been paid $63,000 for clearing snow at the East Lansing post office during the 2006-07 winter. The suit was filed in Ingham County court in November but was moved in December to federal court in Grand Rapids. The government has until Jan. 23 to respond."

Thelocal.de has reported that "Germany's national postal service Deutsche Post has finalised the details of its new “hybrid mail” service. The combination of e-mail with traditional "snail mail" will be €0.09 cheaper per letter, the company said on Friday. Customers will be able to send a letter online and Deutsche Post will print and deliver it at the office nearest to its destination. While normal letters cost €0.55, hybrid letters will be just €0.46 because they are cheaper to deliver. Deutsche Post has so far tailored the service to suit the mass mailings of government administrative offices, insurance companies and banks since they would benefit from the savings."

According to RoadTransport, "After a period of relative calm in the parcel market following the big acquisitions of 2005 and 2006 and the financial woes of Amtrak in 2008, DHL has shaken the sector up by selling off a large chunk of the former Securicor Omega operation it bought in 2005. Its sale of the Domestic Day Definite operation is, in DHL's eyes at least, necessary in order to focus on what it believes are its core strengths of time-definite international express and same-day services, both in the UK and abroad."

Littleabout.com has reported that "At a time when filmmakers are working overtime to promote their films differently, producer Amit Chheda has tied up with the India Post to bring out special cover on the theme of his film “Road To Sangam”. The postal department has signed an exclusive marketing deal with the film, slated to release Jan 29. The department will bring out specially designed envelopes to promote the film."

The Plymouth Herald has reported that "A Royal Mail manager has been jailed for six months for stealing cash from greetings cards at the Plymouth depot."

The Oldham Chronicle has reported that "Oldhamers are still waiting for parcels that they expected to be delivered before Christmas. Several Chronicle readers have complained after experiencing long delays in receiving their packages."

The Fort Myers News-Press has reported that "U.S. Postal Service spokeswoman Debbie Mitchell said the mail that was scattered along Six Mile Cypress Parkway this afternoon was being transported by Smurfit-Stone, a company that contracts to deliver undeliverable mail for recycling. Apparently, the truck driver was unaware that mail had been lost. The truck was gone by time postal workers arrived to help pick up the mail, according to Mitchell. How the mail ended up on the street isn’t known for sure yet."

Passaic Valley Today has reported that "The United States Postal Service (USPS) has said they will consider giving the borough its own zip code, something Woodland Park has not had for more than 46 years. "The bottom line remains that the municipality can approach the post office for an adjustment to the zip code," said George Flood, spokesman for the postal service. "In 2004 they didn't really go through the (Zip Code Boundary Review) process. They went through the process in 1995." Flood said the postal service will only consider reassigning a zip code every 10 years to maintain the continuity of the USPS' system."

The Telegraph has reported that "The postal service could grind to a halt because of fresh strikes as soon as next month unless a peace deal between unions and Royal Mail is signed in the next 10 days."

Purchasing has told its readers that "As is often the case, the small parcel market looks to be a challenging one for freight buyers this year. Despite the fact that demand for small parcel services remains muted along with the U.S. economy, small parcel carriers are pushing rate increases again this year as shippers try their best to emerge strong from the down economy. But while parcel carriers' billing files are notoriously complicated, savvy freight buyers can always dig into those files to find savings opportunities."

The Milford Daily News has reported that "Town officials are going back to the drawing board after the U.S. postmaster general said hand-delivering mail to homes on Main Street is not economically feasible. Calling the mailboxes eyesores that clutter the sidewalks, Ken Glowacki, the town's treasurer/collector, sponsored a citizen's petition at May's annual Town Meeting that would have required residents on Main Street to purchase post office boxes and pick up their mail at the post office. Those boxes cost $42 per year. The measure was voted down by a majority. Currently, mailboxes on Main Street sit in large pots filled with sand, and some take up as much as half the sidewalk, making it difficult to walk around or for the sidewalk plow to do its job. Glowacki said the mailboxes also interfere with handicapped access on the sidewalk."

Deadtree Edition has told its readers: "The U.S. Postal Service is missing out on an opportunity to reduce its costs of handling Periodicals mail, a postal expert says. Declining mail volume has left the USPS with “a great surplus” of flats-sorting machines, but a large portion of magazines and newspapers are still undergoing more expensive manual sortation, according to Halstein Stralberg. That’s part of the reason that the cost of handling Periodicals supposedly rose 6% in the previous fiscal year even though average copy weights were lighter. “The tendency of Periodicals flats to be sorted manually . . . is a major contributor to the excessively high Periodicals costs and the inability of the class to meet its attributed costs,” Stralberg said in a report presented to the Postal Regulatory Commission this week by Time Inc. “The likelihood of a Periodicals flat being diverted to manual sorting, even when there is a machine that it could have been sorted on, is considerably greater than for a Standard flat.” [EdNote: MANUALLY??? We were told this was what the investment of millions in FSS was supposed to correct. What gives?]

The Hillsboro Star-Journal has noted that "As if newspapers don’t have enough problems with keeping their doors open another year — or day, for that matter — the U.S. Postal Service now wants to penalize lightweight newspapers that fail to pass a new “droop” test. USPS had already announced no intention to increase rates. This proposed action seems to be another attempt to levy higher rates for a select group."

From PR Newswire: "It took seven months to hit the 1 billion mark, but only four more weeks to hit 3 billion. That's the number of Intelligent Mail Full Service mailpieces processed by the U.S. Postal Service since the program's implementation last May. The milestone mailing entered the postal distribution network the week of Jan. 4, and the actual number was confirmed yesterday. The number of Intelligent Mail Full Service mailers increased to 171, a 60 percent increase from mid-December. To date, Intelligent Mail Full Service has generated $1 billion in revenue."

The Courier, Express, and Postal Observer wrote that "in an interview with All Things Digital, Netflix CEO Reed Hastings stated that its DVD by mail business will continue until around 2030. The importance of the mailed DVD will rapidly diminish over the next 20 years. “Pretty soon, we’re going to be a streaming business that rents some DVDs,” Hastings told the All Things Digital reporter. Currently Netflix is one of the Postal Service's most important customers. The Postal Service can ill afford to lose this business but there is nothing it can do to stop the loss."

January 13, 2010

According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, "It looks like suburban Gwinnett County is about to become the center of metro Atlanta’s universe when it comes to snail mail. Check out this public meeting presentation by the U.S. Postal Service, dated next week, describing the benefits of moving its Atlanta area operations from East Point to Duluth, 33 miles away. Benefits include an annual savings of $5.6 million. Workforce would be decreased by 38 positions."

According to Rag Content, "Although there has been no communication from the Postal Service on its efforts or undertakings to help reduce Periodical costs, it has been pointing to the Flats Sequencing System (FSS) as the savior of all flat shaped mailpieces. The USPS goal is to delivery point sequence the same percentage of flats as letters, to help reduce overhead and costs. The Postal Service has encountered many snags with its deployment of FSS due to steep declines in flat volumes in both Standard Mail and Periodicals.The actual benefits of FSS have yet to be realized or monetized by the Postal Service. Costs for all flat shaped mailpieces continues to rise making almost all products below their attributable costs."

Here's an interesting tidbit from the PRC's web site. It's on "Annualized Percentage Change in CPI‐U and Available Price Cap January 2008‐ November 2009"

Business Week has reported that "Skiff President Gil Fuchsberg predicts that 60 million to 100 million people will be using dedicated reading devices in the next 5 to 10 years."

The Chicago Breaking News Center has reported that "Pamela M. Terry, a court reporter at the Cook County Courthouse, filed a federal lawsuit today against a U.S. Postal Service inspector. Terry claims in the suit that Postal Inspector David Hodapp tried to get information about a judge by threatening her with evidence that she over-billed the Cook County State's Attorney's office."

From PR Newswire: "Eco-conscious companies can now choose a new method of shipping and mailing that supports their environmental protection goals. Today, DHL Global Mail became the first mail services provider in the U.S. to enable customers to send shipments in a way that leaves a net zero carbon footprint, through a process verified by an independent organization."

The Association for Postal Commerce has submitted comments to the U.S. Postal Service on its "Notice of Proposed Rulemaking concerning the Eligibility for Commercial Flats Failing Deflection Standards, 74 Fed. Reg. 660789 (December 14, 2010).

CEP News (Courier-Express-Postal), published by the MRU Consultancy, has reported that:

Sandd and Selekt Mail, TNT Post’s main competitors in the Dutch mail market, don’t have to conclude indefinite labour contracts with their delivery staff. In the end of December a court in Amsterdam declared an according decree of the economics ministry illegal.
China Post Group could again strongly increase its business in November.
India Post will focus on hybrid mail in the future.
Korea Express, the largest CEP and logistics company in Korea, surprisingly pulled the launch of a domestic bond of 74m euros which had already received regulatory approval.
Astar Air Cargo, one of DHL’s subcontractors in the USA, will lay off more than two third of its pilots.
An agreement with DHL about the future of the Wilmington Airport seems to be imminent.
DHL Express Mexico closed its business year with a revenue increase of 10%.
The German Federation of Postal Service Providers (BvDP e. V.) holds a symposium about sustainability on February 25.
DHL Express Thailand did ’better than expected’ in the last fiscal year.
Alan Cook, Managing Director of Royal Mail’s Post Office Ltd branch, will retire in May.
Klaus Zumwinkel, former CEO of Deutsche Post, paid his million penalty at the last moment. Zumwinkel received a two years suspended sentence for tax fraud in January 2009 and had to pay a penalty of one million euros payable until the end of 2009.

The MRU, founded in 1992, is the only consultancy in Europe, which has specialised in the market of courier-, express- and parcel services. For large-scale shippers and CEP-services in particular, the MRU provides interdisciplinary advice for all major questions of the market, as there are for example market entry, product design, organisation, and EDP.To learn more about the stories reported above, contact CEP News. (We appreciate the courtesy extended by CEP News to help whet your appetite for more of what CEP offers.)

According to the Northern Echo, "British homes that have waited since before Christmas for their postman to call finally got the first delivery of 2010 yesterday. Although the roads in the Edmundbyers, Hunstanworth and Blanchland areas of County Durham have largely stayed open through the snow, there has been no postal service since December 23."

Post & Parcel has reported that "Redmail, a joint venture between the Styria Media Group AG and TNT Post in Austria, today decided to create value by focussing on the regional delivery of newspapers. The move also sees the company terminate its addressed mail business and part of its unaddressed mail business."

According to USPS direct mail manager Rod DeVar writing in the Postal Service publication, Deliver, "Before you kick off your 2010 efforts, know this: The recession has created new norms for the marketing realm. Many tried-and-true formulas for evaluating media effectiveness and accountability won’t measure up to your heightened need to accomplish stronger results for less investment. But direct mail will continue to perform.

Marketing Daily has noted that "Customers of L.L. Bean aren't just wearing their duck boots, they're feeling the love. The Freeport, Maine-based retailer once again landed in the No. 1 spot in the National Retail Federation/American Express Customers' Choice survey, followed by Overstock.com, Zappos.com and Amazon.com. (All four ranked in precisely the same order as last year's survey.)"

Global Addressing Summit being organized by the Consultative Committee of the UPU for April 23. Save The Date.

Hellmail has reported that:

The recent release of financial results by Royal Mail, as well as, news of a stamp price increase, has renewed such topics as viability of Universal Service (USO), modernisation efforts and back pension obligations, while concerns about continued industrial action persist. To begin, Royal Mail released financial data for the period April to September, to include operating profit of £184m (a 4% increase), revenues of £4.58Bn (a £73m decrease) and a cash flow deficit totaling £434m. All four Royal Mail groups (Post Office, Letters, Parcelforce Worldwide and GLS) reported profits, but overall, profit was down. Notably, emphasis, by the major participants, was placed on the positive operating profit number instead of the more appropriate bottom line number—a cash flow deficit of £434m for the period.
The move to turn French postal operator La Poste into a limited liability company was approved by the French parliament yesterday - despite opposition by french unions. See also Eircom News.

According to the New Castle News, "the post office denied an appeal by Newcastle to create a ZIP code for the city."

The Chillicothe Gazette has reported that "United Parcel Service will re-organize its operations and close a district office in Cincinnati. The move will mean Chillicothe will move into the new Ohio Valley District, which will provide oversight over Kentucky, Indiana and the southern third of Ohio. The Ohio cities of Celina, Piqua, Lima, Springfield and Wilmington, also will be added to the Ohio Valley District."

From Federal Times: "Here’s an update on Monday’s story on U.S. Postal Service executive Robert Bernstock and the three sole-source contracts he awarded to people he worked with in the private sector: Agency spokesman Gerry McKiernan said yesterday that the Postal Service’s general counsel, Mary Anne Gibbons has finished reviewing the contracts and “determined that the procurement process was followed in securing these contracts.” Gibbons began reviewing the contracts last week in response to Federal Times inquiries."

Press Release: "Courier, Express & Parcel Services market is playing a pivotal role in addressing collection and delivery requirements of messages, mails and parcels for individuals and organizations. Sophisticated technologies such as Internet, fax machines, facsimiles and the like have been only partially successful in overriding the popularity of Courier, Express & Parcel (CEP) services. Inability of the modern technologies to establish in certain areas has strengthened the importance of age-old CEP services. Globalization of the world economy opened new avenues for the CEP Services market. Factors such as development of infrastructure, reduction of tariff rates, consumers demand for variety, launch of newer and bigger airlines, have spurred the demand for CEP services across the globe."  

At the Postal Regulatory Commission:

The Public Representatives request a temporary suspension of the January 15, 2010 and February 16, 2010 deadlines for filing comments, claiming that additional time is needed to obtain necessary information from the Postal Service.1 The Public Representatives have been engaged in discussions with the Postal Service regarding the production of certain information, however discussions have been delayed by factors including the preparation of the Postal Service’s Annual Compliance Report and intervening holidays. Id. at 2. The Public Representatives request that the Commission suspend the initial comments deadline and require that the Public Representatives report to the Commission on the status of the information collection efforts within 30 days after this motion is granted. The report would include a recommendation regarding new deadlines for initial and reply comments. Id.

The Commission finds that while there is a need to extend the time for filing comments, an indefinite suspension may leave an impression that a timely conclusion of the inquiry is not a priority. The Commission extends the time for filing comments an additional month. The due dates for comments in this proceeding are revised as follows: initial comments are due February 16, 2010, and reply comments are due March 18, 2010. If additional time to collect information proves necessary, the Public Representatives must seek a further extension.

WICZ has reported that "The NY state comptroller wants to investigate the U.S. Postal service after thousands of retirement checks were put in with bulk and advertising mail by mistake."

January 12, 2010

FedEx Express, a subsidiary of FedEx Corp. (NYSE: FDX) and the world’s largest express transportation company, has re- appointed Antje Schütt-Fahrenkrog as regional Vice President Operations, Central and Eastern Europe and Israel.

From PR Newswire: "NAVTEQ, the leading global provider of digital map, traffic and location data for in-vehicle, portable, wireless and enterprise solutions, announced today that the United States Postal Service has selected NAVTEQ map data for use within the geospatial component of its eFMS (Electronic Facilities Management System) application."`

Deliver, the USPS magazine for marketers, recently won two more bronze Pearl Awards – Best Cover and Best Overall Design (more than 250,000) – from the Custom Publishing Council at a ceremony in New York. The awards recognize excellence in various design, digital, editorial and strategy categories.

• Restricting the Mailing of Replica or Inert Explosive Devices. On January 5, 2010, we published a proposed rule in the Federal Register to clarify that the mailing of replica or inert explosive devices, such as grenades, be sent by Registered Mail™ only. We invite public comments until February 4, 2010. For more details, go to Postal Explorer at pe.usps.com, and click on Federal Registers Notices in the left frame.

• Treatment of Undeliverable Books and Sound Recordings. An advance copy of the final rule Federal Register notice revising the Treatment of Undeliverable Books and Sound Recordings is available on Postal Explorer at pe.usps.com. The final rule clarifies the disposal or treatment of books and sound recordings that are undeliverable-as-addressed (UAA) in their original packaging. The disposal of these items as waste will simplify handling procedures and reduce costs. 

The latest issue of Postal Technology magazine is now available online. Also...this week in Postal Technology:

  iPhone community gets post office
 NREL evaluates UPS hybrid-electric van performance
 NetDespatch reports 100 percent annual growth
 Resignation of SingPost CEO
 Australia Post encourages customers to recycle old mobile phones
 Norway Post offices to be modernized
 

WBNG has reported that "The New York State Comptroller's Office says hundreds of lost pension checks have now been delivered. Many of the 60,000 state pension checks mailed December 30 failed to reach retirees' homes on schedule. The Postal Service found that the missing checks had been mistakenly put in with bulk and advertising mail. They were found Saturday, and many were delivered Monday." [EdNote: Great. So now that they found the checks amidst undelivered advertising mail, will the USPS now finally get around to deliver that advertising mail? Great. Two weeks to deliver advertising mail. What service.]

The Columbus Dispatch has reported that "From the time you mail a letter until the time it reaches its destination, the letter is almost entirely at the mercy of machines. That means you do not want to mail a cookie in an envelope meant for a letter, which is something that workers see on occasion at the Postal Service's Columbus Processing and Distribution Center."

KOLD has reported that "a 53-year-old U.S. Postal Inspector called 911 and said he had just shot his wife and then killed himself."

` The Wall Street Journal has noted that "Looking to cut costs amid the recession, Alicia Settle initially thought it would be a good idea to eliminate her company's annual direct mailing. Spending about $20,000 on the personally signed letters, which offered customers a discount on early orders, seemed indulgent for Per Annum Inc., which sells city diaries, albums, and planners in the struggling corporate gift market. But after swapping snail mail for email last year, Ms. Settle saw a 25% drop in early orders compared with the same period the previous year. "We realized we had made a huge mistake," says Ms. Settle, president of the New York firm. The affordability of e-marketing, along with the explosion of social media and the desire to trim costs in the recession, has prompted many small companies like Per Annum to slash traditional direct-mail budgets. U.S. consumers received about 5.2 billion pieces of direct mail in the third quarter of 2009, a 27% decline compared with 7.1 billion in the same period a year earlier, according to Mintel Comperemedia, a research firm that tracks direct-mail marketing. However, some entrepreneurs who were quick to write off direct mail as too pricey or passé are finding it's not so easy to dismiss."

The BBC has reported that "Up to 80 jobs will go at Jersey Post over the next four years as part of a restructuring of the company. The organisation, which is owned by the States of Jersey, currently employs about 400 people."

DM News has noted that "If it had implemented a five-day-per-week delivery schedule years ago, the US Postal Service would have saved more than $2 billion during the its 2008 fiscal year. For the 2007 fiscal year, the cut in service would have saved the organization more than $1.9 billion, according to the Postal Regulatory Commission's annual report for fiscal year 2009."

The Press Information Bureau has reported that "Delhi Postal Circle Signed here today a MoU with Thomas Cook (India) Ltd., a company engaged in the business of organizing travel arrangements, to provide all travel related services through Select Post Offices. The MoU was signed by Chief Post Master General, Delhi, Shri Gopinath and Managing Director of Thomas Cook (India) Ltd. Shri Madhavan Menon. Dedicating the five Travel and Foreign Exchange Bureaux to the people of Delhi, the Union Minister for Communication and Information Technology Shri A.Raja said that the launch of these services in Post Offices is a path-breaking initiative taken by Delhi Circle. The Minister said, this enterprise brings together the strengths of India Post, the largest postal network in the world and Thomas Cook, one of the most recognized and internationally known Companies in the travel and foreign exchange sector, the world over."

The Washington Post has reported that "The Postal Service defended the decision-making of one of its top officials Monday following reports that he awarded non-competitive contracts to former colleagues who had worked with him in the private sector. The Federal Times reported Monday that Robert Bernstock, who heads the Postal Service's mailing and shipping division, has awarded three consulting contracts totaling $1.3 million to three former colleagues since joining the Postal Service in July 2008. The six figure deals were all designed to boost sagging revenues, according to the Federal Times."

According to Transport Intelligence, "The Middle East express, freight forwarding and logistics sectors will shrug off the global economic downturn and experience high single digit development over the coming years. This is one of the main findings of the latest report from Transport Intelligence, Middle East Transport & Logistics 2010, which examines the air, sea, road and rail industries throughout the region. The report concludes that, despite the recent problems in Dubai, the foundations are in place for buoyant growth once the global economy recovers. The transport infrastructure which has been put in place will allow the region to optimise its location as a regional trans-shipment hub. This will be combined with internal economic investment off the back of rising oil and gas prices."